U.S. Senate

On Wednesday the U.S. Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions passed a bipartisan bill to make it easier for Americans with mental illness and substance use disorders to get health care.

U.S. Senator Chris Murphy of Connecticut says the $1.1 trillion spending bill that made its way through Congress could pave the way for the passage of federal gun control legislation. A bill providing for universal background checks on gun purchases, that was introduced following the Newtown School Shooting, failed to pass the Senate last year.

U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal is optimistic President Obama is looking at ways to reign in the National Security Agency's secret surveillance programs. The Connecticut Democrat was one several senators who met with the president at the White House last week.